Joining the Battle (2)
Silence fell over the Ivory Tower's Great Ground War. The motion of 〈Law-Slay〉, revealed by Gaia's sight, sent chills even down the spines of the Five Great Stars.
"Is that 〈Law-Slay〉?"
It pierced the demons with such speed it would only be visible from the highest vantage.
"I thought it warped the Law."
"Of course."
Minerva, the original wielder of 〈Law-Slay〉, smiled bitterly.
"The fuel's different. It carries out killing in the most direct way, so there's no need to alter the Law."
"The wrath of Yahweh..."
Fried checked the ground again.
Seeing Shirone racing along the path 〈Law-Slay〉 had carved, he frowned.
'He's had enough of it?'
The stars of the Ivory Tower rarely had many chances to face one another in a lifetime.
They watched the world from on high and did as they pleased.
'How long has it been since the Great Assembly opened...'
He remembered Shirone storming out of the Ivory Tower in disgust, and the memory irritated him.
"Looking down on people, are you?"
Fried split his lips into a grin and rose.
"We're going to Kashan."
Minerva turned to him.
"You mean to fight? The System Oversight Department said it doesn't matter which way this goes."
"Don't mock it. Shirone forced this Great Assembly through. It may have been the only way to break my conviction."
By Shirone pointing upward, the faith of those who remained had lost its force.
'Damn kid. Knock it off.'
Five who had cut through humanity's deadliest competition and reached their goal—the Five Great Stars.
But if one of them ran again, the other four would have no choice but to follow.
Shing murmured quietly.
"Do we... have to go up again?" She stood, unable to accept the idea of a phantom higher than herself.
"I'm going to Kashan too."
Emotions stirred among the stars at the sudden development, but Taeseong smiled gently.
'Thank you, Shirone.'
It wasn't a choice anyone could make. It was like telling a climber who'd reached a mountain's summit to try flying next.
'It'll be hard, but you must lead.'
When Amanta joined the Kashan party, Minerva banked her jet and drew near.
"Shall we jump?"
Without Material's power, even the Five Great Stars would struggle to survive a fall from space.
"We'll jump from the Corona Kingdom."
"But Kashan's terminal must be occupied and sealed by demons."
"Then we'll go to the Molten Kingdom. From there, push north to Kashan's capital. Two hours should be enough."
'That's cutting it close...'
Minerva, watching Kashan's battle, hid her worry with a nervous quip.
"At this rate, won't Shirone finish everything himself?"
Fried snorted.
"There are ten million troops. 〈Law-Slay〉 may be aimed at Havitz, but it has limits. And the 7th Legion commander Amon is there."
That was the biggest worry.
"The legion commanders from the 1st to the 10th are Satan's direct line. In any form, they're on par with a Great Star. You can't just plow through ten million troops and handle it like nothing."
They were the essence of demonic illogic, born of the Ten Orders of Chaos.
〈Law-Slay〉 wailed.
Its speed made the cry seem to come from everywhere; the demons were stunned.
"What is this! This is..."
A demon who didn't even know what hit him collapsed as if his chest had been punched through.
Shirone's eyes flashed half a beat.
'I can see it.'
Aganos, Kashan's imperial citadel.
But the closer he got, the more the enemy numbers swelled.
'The blade's durability is hitting its limit.'
It struck the Law's weakest points, but it had already pierced through more than a hundred thousand muscles.
"Save me! Save me—"
A shockwave thundered from inside the retreating demon ranks.
"Kraaah!"
Demons shredded to pieces; dust and debris burst outward for tens of meters.
"Pathetic things."
Division Commander Volcaino.
A demon with lower fangs rising to his cheekbones and four thick arms.
"Don't run! They're just weapons forged of steel! Kill and kill until they break!"
The demons' confusion vanished at once.
"Die! Worship Satan with your death! Show that wretched Yahweh a lesson!"
As Volcaino's demonic energy spread, three hundred thousand troops simultaneously fixed their aim on Shirone.
To an ordinary human, even that alone would be enough to snuff out the breath.
'He's strong.'
〈Law-Slay〉 continued to cleave demons, but there was no one left trying to flee.
"Ha! To fear Yahweh! This is the shame of demons! Attack!"
When the brigade commander shouted, the chain of command flipped every switch in perfect sync.
"Kill!"
So many enemies surged at Shirone that there was no room to force a way through.
Like a swarm of mayflies, they clustered into a sphere around Shirone—and a veil of light spread out from him.
'Multiple Rampage.'
With a roar, demons were crushed, but their numbers felt infinite.
'There's no end!'
Fireballs fell from the sky, the ground rose like a torrent, and ice spikes assaulted Shirone.
Lightning, gales, heat and poison mingled; thousands of tridents and tens of thousands of arrows pelted down.
The onslaught was one-sided—demons who didn't spare even their own in the bombardment.
'Stop!'
Time froze, and every demon within a two-kilometer radius halted.
'Where to begin?'
As the thought finished, the scene trembled and twelve figures in black rose from the ground.
A time outside the Law.
They slipped into the 0.666-second gaps between seconds—the priests of hell revealing themselves.
"We are Siok. Guardians of the prison of time. Yahweh, we have come to seek forgiveness from you."
"Forgiveness?"
Shirone asked coldly.
"We will give you anything you want. Would you not then be appeased?"
'So that's it.'
He recalled the day the world-beauty-pageant terrorist Mortasinger had vanished before his eyes.
"What I want is for all demonic energy to repent."
"That is possible."
"No."
That sweet whisper had been the lure that dragged Mortasinger into hell.
"You will be punished." Siok spoke in a tone darker than before.
"Do not try, Yahweh. The world is already evil."
The twelve priests opened their black tomes and began a grim requiem.
"Aaaaaaaah—"
The twelve slid outward and moved beyond the Stop spell's radius.
The roars of enemies that had hung in the air burst again, and despite the Stop spell, attacks resumed.
"Dammit!"
To evade, they had no choice but to cancel magic, and teleportation flashes shot into the sky.
"There! Catch them!"
Demons pursued the first to deviate from the shortest route to Aganos.
'Hold them!'
Yahweh's radiance flowed along Shirone's body, and the ground around him crumpled into a whirlpool shape.
"Kraaa!"
Demons whose legs were crushed flailed with only their upper bodies visible.
Flames were doused by water; lightning turned to iron; ice spikes were melted by fire.
'Split.'
At Yahweh's command, the earth cleaved and thousands of demons tumbled down.
'Close.'
Kugugugugu!
A chilling scream tore out as the narrowing fault crushed down.
"Kieee!"
What had been called Nanae's preachings—the only thing that had halted her aerial assaults—was Yahweh's protection.
More than two hundred types of attack rained down, but none could wound Shirone.
'I can hold.'
Defended by Yahweh's power, Shirone gathered the 〈Law-Slay〉 that had been ravaging all around him.
As expected, the blade's length had already been halved.
'If it pierces armor in this state, it will break.' That was what Volcaino aimed for, and having achieved his goal, he charged.
"Yahweh! Is that all you've got?"
Shirone gripped 〈Law-Slay〉's hilt hard.
'Material!'
Black matter synthesized and thickened around 〈Law-Slay〉, forming a massive beast.
Named Salsu.
'This will do.'
Even if the blade wore away, Shirone's wrath would not be blunted.
"Kraaaaa!"
The Salsu, powered by 〈Law-Slay〉, let out a bestial cry and lunged at Volcaino.
"By Satan's power!"
The moment Volcaino seized the Salsu's head with his four arms, his eyes widened.
"This... this is—!"
A shock so violent it shook even the essence of demonhood crushed bones throughout his body.
"Ugh—aaaah!"
Volcaino's body exploded.
"Hah. Hah."
Shirone breathed hard as he recovered his senses; another ten thousand troops gathered around.
But before the black beast exuding that wrath, no one dared approach.
'Still not easy.'
Straddling the Salsu's back, Shirone looked toward Aganos.
The Salsu's face, having drawn in Yahweh's wrath, stretched into a blade-like length.
"Let's go."
As the Salsu dove off the ground, a hole burst open in the encirclement.
"Damn it! Chase them!"
The demons scrambled to pursue, but Shirone was already passing through the capital's outer gate.
'Wait, Havitz!'
"Over here!"
Kido, carrying Uorin on his back, raced through the tangled streets toward where the Pungjang were guiding them.
'If we go a little further, we can get out.' Just as hope surfaced, an overwhelming murderous intent seized them both.
"Ugh!"
Uorin rolled on the ground, taking the hit, as a black afterimage slit the air.
'Intent alone could kill us.'
Kido looked back at Uorin.
"Are you okay?"
"...Yeah."
At least Uorin had survived, but her voice sounded weak.
When Kido lifted his head, a demon swordsman clad in black armor stood before them.
"What are you this time?"
The presence was qualitatively different from the demons they'd faced so far; Kido's legs trembled.
"Amon, commander of the 7th Legion."
Despair flared in Uorin's eyes.
'Finally moving.'
"Protect the Empress!"
The twenty Pungjang leading them condensed from the sky and surged at Amon.
They moved like a storm, forming a physical curtain as they swung their blades madly.
Air vibrated; afterimages overlapped and the shadows cleared to reveal Amon.
"Damn it!"
The twenty Pungjang were sliced to pieces and fell to the ground.
"My flaw is this," Amon said as he sheathed his sword and advanced. "I don't bother hiding my killing intent."
Because of that, Kido had survived, but the Pungjang who had approached Amon met a miserable end.
"Are you the Empress?"
Uorin glared at Amon.
"How did you find me?"
A voice spoke from behind Amon.
"Do you know why I followed you to Kashan instead of Zeta-ro?"
Smudo stepped forward with a sneer, covering his two eyes with his hands as he spoke.
"To find a fleeing rat, you need my eyes."
It was the power of Cleansight.
"Unfortunate. Even if you'd abandoned the Empire, you wouldn't have wanted to be caught by us. What will you do now? Commit suicide here?"
"I won't die."
If breaking his body would have killed him, he wouldn't have abandoned a billion people.
'Shirone, please...'
If only he could see him once more.
"Long time no see, Empress."
As Amon and Smudo opened a path at the same time, Havitz—drenched in blood—appeared.
'Havitz!'
Uorin ground her teeth.